Hi Guys
Have just returned 1 week ago. Went to bali on the 22nd of December with my husband and son and my parents and husbands parents to celebrate christmas and new year in bali. There was so much rain this time, much more then normal, so we decided to go and get our shopping done on these rainy days. We stayed at kumala pantai again and loved it. My holidays came to a flying holt when on the 2nd of January I was laying by the pool on one of the only nice days we got, and had a sudden headache come on, I took myself of to bed and slept for a few hours.
I went down hill from here the aches and pains in my bones were something never experienced before and the headache was something else. I decided to go to BMIC to check out why I was feeling so bad, and they told me I had the possible symtems of Dengue fever, they made me do a blood test and said my platlets levels (blood levels) were slightly down but told me to go back to the hotel to bed and come back if I still felt unwell.
That night was awful more pain, fever , hold cold sweats so I decided I needed to go back to hospital, so me my husband and son went back to BIMC as I was getting worse, the doctor took one look at me and send i was very dehidrated and they admitted me to hospital for further test, more blood tests and they stuck me straight on a drip and panadol to get my nearly 40 degree temp down, then they confirmed my blood levels had gone down further and this was looking like a sure sign of dengue. I got sicker and sicker and really thought this was it for me.
My blood levels got as low as 39 I was nearly on air ambulance out of bali. I spend 1 week in hospital with drips, and two blood tests a day, ( I must say am not afraid of needles anymore I had that many and the point came were they could not find my vains anymore so they were having two or three goes for the blood test). It was then confirmed that I did have dengue fever, after day 5 I got the rash and sat up the whole night in hospital scratching it was horrible, I cried and cried and cried that whole night. I could not believe my luck why me I have been to bali some many times and have never been sick not even bali belly.
The day came which we were due to fly home and i was to unwell, the only way I could go home was with a medical person flying with me, but the problem was there were not flights available they were full so I had to stay in bali at the BIMC, my husband had to go back to work so I confinced him to catch the plane he took our son home aswell and his parent's and also my dad. My mum stayed in bali with me. We changed our flights for a further 3 days and had figured I should be okay by this stage, but instead of the normal getting better after day 5 I got worse and if I missed this flight it was another 3 weeks before I could get another flight to fly home and all I wanted to do was go home to my own bed, my husband and see my son.
The day came for mum and I to leave and my platlets were at 60 the indonesian doctors told me not to fly to dangerous without medical assistance but the problem no spare seats left. The medical insurance company had spoken to there doctors in australia and said no I would be okay to fly alone, the problem was if you start bleeding with dengue fever it is sometimes impossible to stop it and you can start bleeding from anywhere when level's get low ( brain, eyes, gums, nose etc etc) they scared the crap out of me telling me all the things that could happen but aussie doctors said I would be fine, so I decided to fly I was so scared. We had been flying for about 2 hours when I was asleep and woke up to a bleeding nose, can you imagine the fear I had. This is it I thought this is what the doctors are talking about, I honestly thougth I was going to die, no medical help on plane, I layed the chair back got an ice pack I was shaking I was so scared, but it stopped thank god. I was a nervous wreck by the time I got of that plain. I am have been to the doctors back in australia and my levels have returned to normal but I am left feeling very tired and unwell.
Never ever leave anywhere without medical insurance, I am so lucky we had it. As I said I have been to bali many many tmes and have never had a problem, but this time I was so sick I have never been so sick in my life, that sick that I thought I was going to die. I never wear mosqito spray so this is also a big lesson for me. Dont be feared of bali just be aware that dengue is there and protect yourself against it, I will still go back to bali but will remember my isect spray next time.